Seed-planter



(No Model.)

J. T. GANTT.

SEED PLANTER. No. 345,426. Patented July 13, 1886.

I y (W .llltorney tion.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. GANT'I, OF MACON, GEORGIA.

SEED PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345,426, dated July 13,1886.

Application filed February 12, 1886. Serial No. 191,888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES 'T. GANTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Macon, in the county of Bibb and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in seed-planters, and moreparticularly to that portion of the planter known as the feed ordistributing wheel.

My object is to construct a planter that will feed without skipping, andwill uniformly work with any kind of cottonseed, whether wet or dry,rolled or unrolled.

To this end the invention consists in the construction of novel devicesfor feeding and distributing the seed, as will be more fully understoodfrom the following description, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of theinven- Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, showingdistributing-wheel. Fig. 3 is a side view of the distributing-wheel.Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the hopper,

showing the feed-slot.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all' the drawings.

A designates the hopper or seed-box.

B shows the side beams that extend to the back of the hopper, andbetween which there is arranged the transporting power-wheel 0, whosesprocket-wheel h, secured to its shaft, connects with a similar wheel,73, on the end of the distributer-shaft by means of a drive chain orbelt,

The furrow-opener D, the clevis E, and the spr'ing'coverer F are, likethe parts just designated, of usual construction and arrangement, savethe last-mentioned element, which I prefer to secure to the back of theseed-box, instead of bolting it to the beams underneath the hopper. Thereason for this preference is twofold: First, in passing over the rocksor stumps the springcoverer does' not come in impinging contact withthem; and, second, in bearing down the handles of the planter thepressure of the springs comes against the bolt that passes through thebeams, taking thereby the strain off the small bolts and nuts by whichthe spring-coverer is secured to the hopper.

The construction of my distributing and feeding device proper ispeculiar in its adaptation to cotton-seeds, whose form and nature seemto require that they be stepped or trodden out rather than simplydropped or shaken from the box containing them. In the hopper A,therefore, there is arranged a transverseshaft, a, provided withseed-agitating pins or rods 0, and carrying the feeding-wheel b, whichlatter is equal in thickness to the flange of the former, to which it isfastened, without having any projections upon either side. This feeder12 consists of the plate 0, having teeth or spikes d, which are nottriangular or pointed, as in other planters, but are broad across andbeveled at their ends, the interspaces between them being curved orsemicircular. With teeth thus shaped, with spikes thus made flat-footed,it is evident that the feeding device propelled by the power-wheel withthe aid of the sprocketwheels and their connecting-chain-operateswithout skips, and, as it were,.treads the seed out from and through theopening of the hopper, to the bottom of which the flat spikes movenearly parallel when the planter is in operation.

To regulate the quantity of seed passing through the slot in the hoppersbottom, this latter is constructed with two adjustable slides, ff, whichare moved in or out by thumbscrews 9 g.

I am aware that cotton-planters have been constructed having afeed-wheel with straight edges and agitating-rods. Therefore I do notclaim such, broadly.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

In a seed-planter, the distributer feedingwheel carried within theseed-box on a shaft provided with agitatingpins, and having teeth orspikes thatare broad across and beveled at their ends, the spacesbetween them being curved or semicircular, as shown, and for the purposedescribed. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES T. GANTT.

Witnesses: I

J. O. WYNN,

W. W. STANFORD.

